Roof or building tile



Jan. 19 1.926.

L. LANE ROOF 0R BUILDING TiLE Original Filed March 4. 1924 6 J Q 15 Zaire by the mama at. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES LOUIS LANE, OF HAIBANA, CUBA.

ROOF OR BUILDING TILE.

Application filed March 4, 1924, Serial No. 696,851. Renewed December 12,1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs LANE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Habana, Cuba, have invented a new and Improved Roof or Building Tile, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to a novel roofing or building element having any one of the non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, nickel, copper, zinc, lead, etc., or'their alloys and employed in the form of a very thin Sheet, or foil-form as an outer protection cover or -surfacing on a body of cast or moulded plastic material, or materials, such, for example, as clay, cement, asbestos or asbestos-cement, .magnesite, etc., by the use of an adhesive as haltic comenting substance between said foil-metal covering and said body.

The protected elements may be in any approved form of tiles, shingles, or flat or corrugated or other sheets, ete.

By the use of the non-ferrous foil-metal covering cemented on b an asphaltic adhesive material to the body mentioned, I secure all the advantagesof non-ferrous metal surfaced roof with a minimum amount of metal. At the same time certain defects inherent in the roofing elements generally used are eliminated and all the useful qualities for whieh'such elements are employed are retained and conserved through the protection afforded to them by the said non-ferrous foil-metal covering and asphaltic cementing medium used in uniting them together. The strength of the foil-metal and that of the asphaltic cement is united with the strength of the roofing or other element employed thus greatly increasing also its strength, its durability and the weathering qualities to a marked extent, and at a relatively small cost. Reference is to be had to the accompanylug drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of practical exam les of the invention.

igure 1 is a cross section of an arched tile formed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1;.

Figure 3 is a view similar ,to Figure l but showing the embodiment of the invention in a corrugated tile.

To secure the objects of my invention I employ any moulded or cast plastic material roofing elements in common use for the body portion. (Figs. 1 and 2) of my improved roofing and apply thereto a coating 11 of asphaltic adhesive material over which is applied a protective covering 12 of nonferrous metal in a, thin layer or foil form to cover all of the exposed surfaces of the body, including all weathering edges and the overlapping of the metal coating on to the under side of said body element sufficiently far to securely attach said foil-metal. The mentioned. foil-metal covering may be and preferably is of such thickness as to afford a durable surface thinner than the. metal roof covering as used generally by itself.

In the corrugated .form of tile as in- Figure 2 the same features are embodied, there being a body 110 corresponding with the body 1-0, a coating 111 of asphaltic material as referred to and a non-ferrous foilmetal protective covering 112. In both examples it will be noted that the asphaltie coating and the protective covering are exprotection but materially tended about the under surface adjacent the end edges so that all exposed protected.

The thickness of the foil-metal employed will vary with the kind of metal or alloy used to make it, but it is preferably not less than 0.001 of an 'inch thick, nor more than 0.01 of an inch thick; and the term foil-metal as herein used is understood to cover such thicknesses although it is not to be understood as precluding the use of a somewhat thinner or thicker foil if found desirable in some metals. In practice the foil-metal covering, cut to proper size and form is coated on its seating surface when at about 300 Fahrenheit with the'plastic asphaltic-cement compound which may be surfaces are directly applied thereto or applied upon 7 before applying.

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metal protected using the minimum amount of compound therefor that may be sufficient to seal the porosity of the surface of the said body and to form a practically smooth seating surface thereon to receive the foilmetal protection. Immediately after being coated and while still at a temperature near to fusion, the previously coated foil-metal covering is applied to the body 10 and pressed or rolled firmly and uniformly by any suitable means on to the said asphalt covered surfaces of the body.

With certain metals and alloys the priniing of the attaching metal surface may be omitted and with some metals the asphaltic coating of the attaching metal surface may also be dispensed with and the metal may be applied directly to the asphalted surface of the body element as described.

The foil-metal may be given such surface for m treatment while still hot as may be desired. It will also be apparent that, when cold any color treatment of the foilmetal surface desired may be produced thereon by oxidizing or other suitable processes.

It may be stated that most plastic material roofing elements have whether cast, moulded, or pressed to shape certain common defects in varying degree.

Among these defects may be mentioned, for instance, the relative softness and porosity of most common clay and cement and asbestos-cement roofing tiles, etc., that results in an unplcasing surface texture and color and causes such tiles, etc., to absorb an excessive amount of rain water thereby causing an excessive loading of the roof structure as well as the deterioration and softening of the tile itself. This causes also in northern climates, frost breakage, and in hot damp tropic like climates ugly discolorations from the vegetable or fungoid growths that establish themselves on such water soaked moist surfaces and blacken them.

Similarly like defects exist in corrugated or other sheets made of cement and various compounds of cement with asbestos, and of magnesite compounds, etc. The tendencies to further weathering and decay inherent in low grade asbestos products, used as roofing and exposed to the weather may be mentioned also as a further serious defect to be overcome in asbestos-cement elements.

This defect of softness and porosity and consequent great absorption pertaining to the softer clay and other cast or plastic made roofing elements mentioned as well as their consequent lack of good weathering properties, is corrected and overcome by the wellknown water-proofing quality of the asphaltic saturating cement employed by me, which being applied in a fused state to the cameos smooth and adherent medium for cementing thereto the protecting foil-metal covering which in turn acts to conserve and protect the asphaltic compound employed as a cementing medium from all changes of oxidation and deterioration; the two together at the same time adding to the protected element a very material increased factor of safety against breakage in handling, shipping, installing and when installed on the roof, over that of the unprotected tile or other elements, this attribute constitutng an important and useful feature of my invention.

Properly refined bitumens or asphalts and alllied substances, such as I employ in my cementing compound have well known weather resisting properties but are subject to gradual changes brought about by oxidization or condensation through exposure to air, light, heat and gases. But when such asphaltic materials are used as I employ them protected by the metal covering from light and air and gases and exposed normally to medium temperature relative to their fusing points such asphaltic compounds have an almost unmeasured durability fully commensurate with the other components employed in my roofing element, so that by the processes employed and by the manner of my combining together the materials stated there is brought about complementary important improvements and economies over the present methods now in use as to such materials for the purposes stated and whereby the use of such materials for roofing purposes and otherwise will be greatly extended.

It may be asserted that the nonferrous metals constitute the most perfect, most durable and most beautiful roof surfacing materials in use; and that the use of such metals is limited by several considerations such as the great expense owing to the necessity of the relatively great thickness of such metals when used as at present in order to give stiffness and strength by themselves which makes a roof of such metals as'- at present made of too great cost. It will be observed that the thickness of'athe non-fen rous metals, as at resent used alone in the sheet form for roo ng material, bears no relation to the requirements as to durability, considered from the standpoint of weather resistance, or for protection against the element; but is determined solely by structural considerations thus another important feature arising from my improved method of employment of such non-ferrous metals in their foil form is the consequent extended use of such metals brought about through the very great economy secured by their use in said foil-form as stated.

Another consideration limiting the use for roofing purposes of such metals in ordinary 5 sheet form is their relatively high conductivity of heat and cold and the consequent lack of protection afforded to the building against the temperature changes to which it is exposed. For this reason roofs of such 10 metals are scarcely ever employed in very the solid' body elements stated are accepted" 25 as a surface protective treatment of the solid body forms 1n the same way as a glazing is considered on clay tile and the objection referred to is overcome.

I am aware of the over all coating of surfaces of ferrous roofing metal elements with asphaltic preparations to protect them from corrosion and electrolysis, etc., and of the use of asbestos and other materials to cover over and protect the asphaltic coating thus employed, as well as of the use of sand,

pebbles, crushed stone and other coatings and surfacings for. that purpose over asphaltic materials. I am also aware of the,

\use of asphaltic compounds for waterproofing and cementing purposes and of the application of heat treated lacquers and primers over all surfaces of ferrous'metal sheets prior to applying coatings thereto.

I am also aware of the use of foil-metal coverings as variously applied in thearts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 4

1. As a new article of manufacture, a

roofing or building element of the class scribed having a body of poroustile madescribed having a molded body, a coating to of hydrocarbon waterproofing substance applied thereto on the surface to be exposed when in use and closing the pores thereof, and a non-ferrous metal protective covering oversaid coating and adhering thereto to 6, give to theelement a metal surfacing, said covering of foil-like thickness to prevent deterioration of said coating and to afford a finish and contribute strength to the element.

'2. As a new article of manufacture, a roof or building element of the class described having a body of porous tile material, a foilJike non-ferrous metal outer covering, and an intermediate layer of an asphaltic substance adhering to both said body and said covering.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a roof or building element of the class de- 10 terial, a foil-like non-ferrous metal outer covering, and an intermediate layer of an asphaltic substance adhering to both said bod and said covering, said covering ex, ten in over the face of said body and extending about the edges thereof.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a roof or building element of the class described having a body of porous tile'material, a foillike non-ferrous metal outer covering, and an intermediate layer of anasphaltic substance adhering to both said bod and said covering, said coating and sai covering extending over the face of said body and extending about the edges thereof.

.5. As a new article of manufacture a roof or building element of the class described having a body of porous tile ma- 1 terial and having a covering or surfacing formed of sheet metal of foil-like thickness.

6.,As a new article of manufacture, a roof or building element of the class described having a body of porous tile material and .having a covering or surfacing formed of sheet metal of foil-like thickness extending over the outer surface thereof and turned over the edges of the body.

' LOUIS LANE. 

